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      02-20-2018, 12:40 PM   #1
FriedPiston
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Can you spot the fake NGK 97506?

Long story short, I bought a set of NGK 97506 (BMW SILZKBR8D8S) off of a Chinese seller on eBay just to see if they would be the real deal. I had no intention of ever installing them on my car, or reselling them anywhere.

I've had experience dealing with counterfeits in the past with Sandisk MicroSD cards which were also sold by someone from China. Although, I must say that these sellers are more than willing to issue a refund, and sometimes let you keep the item(s) once you call them out with supporting evidence.

See if you can spot the fake ones using the following guide: https://www.driven2automotive.com/bl...m-august-2017/
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Last edited by FriedPiston; 11-13-2018 at 04:52 PM..
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      02-20-2018, 12:41 PM   #2
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Continuation:

I basically bluffed my way into getting the seller to admit that he sold me a set of counterfeits by claiming that a certified BMW Master Tech had told me that they were fake

Funny enough, the seller admitted that they were indeed fake, and were made in China with good quality.

Last edited by FriedPiston; 06-21-2018 at 06:49 PM..
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      02-20-2018, 01:17 PM   #3
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Without looking to deeply the one with the coarse looking thread is probably the fake. As with most cheap Chinese stuff they are not refined as well. If you need genuine stuff, I know a guy
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      02-20-2018, 01:32 PM   #4
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Do you have a picture of the box of the counterfeit ones? I bought a set from Amazon not too long ago.
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      02-20-2018, 01:32 PM   #5
Mike@N54Tuning.com
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The tips are a giveaway.

I am always amazed that everything and anything gets counterfeited.. sigh

Mike
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      02-20-2018, 01:44 PM   #6
FriedPiston
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff@TopGearSolutions View Post
If you need genuine stuff, I know a guy
I'll keep you in mind if I ever need the good stuff.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dheanswer View Post
Do you have a picture of the box of the counterfeit ones? I bought a set from Amazon not too long ago.
The boxes in the photos are counterfeits

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike@N54Tuning.com View Post
The tips are a giveaway.

I am always amazed that everything and anything gets counterfeited.. sigh

Mike
Much respect to the imitators in China. They really know how to make a good looking knock off!
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      02-20-2018, 01:47 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nars3000 View Post
I'll keep you in mind if I ever need the good stuff.



The boxes in the photos are counterfeits



Much respect to the imitators in China. They really know how to make a good looking knock off!
Oh wow. I did some comparison to the pictures you posted with the ones I got and they checked out to be real . Mine came in the NGK boxes.
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      02-20-2018, 01:49 PM   #8
FriedPiston
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dheanswer View Post
Oh wow. I did some comparison to the pictures you posted with the ones I got and they checked out to be real . Mine came in the NGK boxes.
NGK boxes can also be fake. You have to really inspect them using the clues in the article I noted in the OP.
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      02-20-2018, 02:04 PM   #9
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Wow that’s crazy. Thanks for investigating and warning others about this!
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      02-20-2018, 02:15 PM   #10
FriedPiston
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Quote:
Originally Posted by F80Paul View Post
Wow that’s crazy. Thanks for investigating and warning others about this!
They look real as hell to untrained eyes!
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      02-20-2018, 02:26 PM   #11
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never forgot the day i bought a fake badminton racket on ebay. now I assume anything can be faked
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      02-20-2018, 04:28 PM   #12
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My $2 Chinese roundels are pretty close to original. Good thing they’re for wall art
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      10-18-2018, 01:44 AM   #13
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I installed a set of fake ngk 97506, 4 were fake 2 are real, they were mixed in different boxes from the same supplier. I had misfire immediately on high boost.

Pls see photo, the P alphabet on the JAPAN word has an underline on the fake ones. The real one are on the top . The wear pattern after 1 day is very obvious between the fake and real.
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      10-25-2018, 08:28 AM   #14
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I had the fake set of spark plugs from rockauto.com. Even after looking at the photos they say they cannot tell which is fake... sigh
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      10-25-2018, 11:16 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1azycat View Post
I had the fake set of spark plugs from rockauto.com. Even after looking at the photos they say they cannot tell which is fake... sigh
Rock Auto sells fake plugs?
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      11-11-2018, 09:28 PM   #16
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      11-12-2018, 11:09 AM   #17
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This is good info. I would be pissed if I spent the time and money to install fake plugs.
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      11-13-2018, 05:54 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hz_diesel View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1azycat View Post
I had the fake set of spark plugs from rockauto.com. Even after looking at the photos they say they cannot tell which is fake... sigh
Rock Auto sells fake plugs?
I seriously doubt rockauto sells fake anything. Not saying it couldn't happen, just highly unlikely.

1azycat, how did you know or confirm they were fake?
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      11-13-2018, 04:54 PM   #19
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Re-uploaded the original photos for reference.
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      11-13-2018, 06:32 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1azycat View Post
I installed a set of fake ngk 97506, 4 were fake 2 are real, they were mixed in different boxes from the same supplier. I had misfire immediately on high boost.

Pls see photo, the P alphabet on the JAPAN word has an underline on the fake ones. The real one are on the top . The wear pattern after 1 day is very obvious between the fake and real.
So the underlined P is fake?
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      11-13-2018, 07:23 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike@N54Tuning.com View Post
The tips are a giveaway.

I am always amazed that everything and anything gets counterfeited.. sigh

Mike
Which tips are fake? Dull or shiny
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      03-14-2019, 09:57 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mmvic View Post
So the underlined P is fake?
I just got some 97506 from BMS that also has a underlined P, are they fake?
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